The case for off-grid power in Tanzania

...more than USD1bn was immediately needed to lessen power transmission losses now estimated at within the range of 27 percent of total electricity generation.

- IPPMEDIA, TANZANIA.

Some long-time readers of this blog will remember my frustrations with the energy infrastructure in Tanzania. The situation does not seem to be improving anytime soon- so much that I am seriously exploring the economics of implementing off-grid power such as solar to complement the diesel generators we use in the family business for real-estate projects... If you haven't noticed- there's currently a Green craze in the US and most definitely at Stanford GSB- I am now tapping into this knowledge from classmates before graduation.

Speaking of Green- I am off to Yosemite this weekend to enjoy the glorious Spring- should be fun.

India & startups...Never a better time?

One of the most common things you hear as an MBA about making the tradeoff between joining an established company versus a startup is that although the upside risk is substantial for a startup, be prepared for a low salary and forgoing a cushy lifestyle in as well as accept the high possibility of outright failure.

My room-mate challenged this notion when he told me this morning that there has never been a better time for an MBA to returning to Indian to join a startup then now. Apparently salaries are 50% higher than the safe corporate job due to lack of talented managers to grow startups- this is the opposite to the US. You also have the upside of options and equity stake as large as 5% coming in as a non-founder with an MBA. Many accomplished Indian serial entrepreneurs from silicon valley are making their way back to India, with their experience and ability to get VC funding further reducing risks of joining a startup. Combined with even lower risk of transferring an established idea to a new market with potential such as India, it seems that startups might be compelling for Indians wanting to return home. Goodbye to brain drain? You see, people eventually do return home... I'd love this to happen to East Africa in the next 25 years.

UPDATE: A reminder what can happen if luck is on your side:

What kind of company makes me excited?

Companies that utilize technology to provide a social good in Africa tackling fundamental problems and have potential to make a ton of money...
I came across Voxiva, a company that's providing solutions in healthcare from clinical trials to epidemic monitoring for NGOs with people out in the field, combining the reach of cell phones and power of internet.

C4C is on… International student apathy.

The Challenge 4 Charity (C4C) is taking place in Stanford this weekend; this is an annual fundraiser which brings together business schools along the West coast down to our campus to compete in various fun sports. For Stanford students, requirements to participate in all the events is about 6 hours of volunteer and charity work . The event is well attended, except many international students, like myself, choose to increasingly ignore large events like this. I don't know what it is, but there has always been a international vs domestic student split- for me the reason is clear, spend more time with friends I don't see very often outside the b-school. Many think that you give up your social life to b-school throughout your MBA, this is very true in the first year, but for me and many international students, I decided enough is enough with GSB events- I attend the ones I enjoy and not every single one for the sake of participation. Now I heard C4C is a great party scene, particularly as it involves multiple business schools, I would love to attend- but I did not do my hours- you can't have it all!

CEOs make excellent Business School Professors…

I hardly ever talk about what goes on in class, but I feel the class I had on Monday was a great example of the value of having a CEO as someone to teach and facilitate a class discussion. For my Supply Strategy & Factor markets class, we have the pleasure of having Michael Marks, former CEO of Flextronics and a partner at the private equity firm KKR. On Monday, we tackled Microsoft's entry in the video game console market, with the case being taught from the perspective of the contract manufacturer, Flextronics. Firstly, the energy Michael Marks generated within the class was pretty phenomenal, as well as clearly articulating the tradeoffs and issues involved in the case and constantly putting students on the spot. It was one of those rare moments when I suddenly felt how finance, marketing, accounting, human resources, strategy, organizational behavior as well as other areas such as sales and global management all come alive in an hour and half class.

I am looking forward to covering the X-Box case again in a few weeks, this time from the Microsoft angle to get the other side of this market entry. story.

HAVING GOOGLE ACCOUNT ISSUES

This blog is corrupted or something- Google seems to have confused my various accounts as well as the migration from an old blogger account- as a result have lost posts from September 2006. Hopefully Google will do something about it and recover my posts- temporary suspension of blogging until resolve the issue. Apologies...

UPDATE: Recovered posts and blog layout- thanks to Google search cached webpages... Will resume blogging.

Stanford Cool Products Expo is on! ***100th Post***- commitment to accelerate blogging to 200!

The Stanford cool product Expo is now on- showcasing some companies' new products as well as startups, not to mention some classmates who have been working hard on projects that are on the verge of becoming becoming fully fledged startups. I received questions from a reader asking about startup support at the GSB- well here is a clear example- apart from the Stanford GSB Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, visiting venture capitalist in academics, business plan competitions etc..., the cool products expo allows Stanford students to showcase their products to the world.

This is my 100th blog post, and I can't believe its been this long, I started this blog the day I got accepted into Stanford GSB about 2 years ago, and its now time to think about the direction of this blog...
I will make one commitment to my readers- I will accelerate the pace of blogging and try to add another 100 posts by mid September. What has happened is that I was excited during the lead up to starting my MBA which lead to 1-2 posts a week, then this inevitably slowed down as I got much busier in recruiting, academics during the core of the MBA. Now that I am reflecting on the MBA experience more as well and things start to slow down, I will accelerate the blogs to 3-5 posts a week to reach my goal of an addition 100 posts my mid September. Some posts will inevitably be shorter, but will ensure that I try and provide in-depth analysis/viewpoint often rather then letting this become a ticker news feed of my GSB experience.

Visa woes continue...

It looks like I was right to be if a little worried about my visa status going forward- particularly on the H1-B application front. Apparently 150,000 applications were received with a cap limit of 60,000. So there's a 60% chance of not getting the H1-B status. At least the Optional Practical Training (OPT), which allows a Master's student to work for a year following graduation, is going well- got a biometric interview tomorrow at 10am for that, which means missing class- I hate missing class!

Can't get enough of San Francisco

Spring break for many GSBers has meant exotic far flung visits to destinations including Brazil, Hawaii, and even Mexico and East Africa study trips. I've stayed put enjoying the bay area and specifically hanging out with friends- with just 3 months till graduation do I now begin to fully find my way around the city. I attended a great business plan competition last night at the University of San Francisco- it involved 2 minute elevator pitches from business school students across the globe- very exciting to watch with social networking, biotech and cleantech sectors well represented.
Additionally I'm starting to engage myself with project work at pixpulse (www.pixpulse.com), a mobile media platform start-up. With only 10 GSB units needed next quarter to graduate equating to about 2.5 classes, and a long awaited trip back to UK planned in May, I think I should finally be able to start meaningful work on my mobile ambitions in Africa prior to joining Microsoft. Speaking of which, they just sent me my welcome gift- windows vista ultimate and office 2007 standard (+ ultimate from my team)- my computer has a new life! Although I do plan to get an apple macbook pro + iphone come this summer- no I'm not a traitor, it just works for me for consumer device connectivity & creative works.

Winter Quarter in Summary...

This has been a surprisingly busy quarter, particularly the dash towards the end where I embarked on a no. of trips.

Academics
Within the GSB, I took Competitive Strategy, Strategic Management of Non-Profits and Entrepreneurship & Venture Capital. Across the street I took a class on Africa- Health, Land and Education. I also undertook a fascinating independent team study on mobile marketing. The guests kept me thrilled in both the VC and Non-profits class- I saw these classes as extensions of Formation of New ventures I took in he Fall quarter- just being inspired by different ideas and personalities out there in business. The competitive strategy class had a fascinating simulation game where each team had to decide market entry strategies, capacity and pricing tactics as well as amusing press releases to signal to other players one's intentions OR not! The Africa class was a welcome relief from the GSB format, and I enjoyed sharing and collaborating with students from education and biology fields on the challenges confronting Africa- definitely some valuable contacts for the future when I'm back in Tanzania.
Personally, fatigue during classes started to creep in, I will admit that this is the quarter where I really started to feel the "senioritis" creep in- in essence, my participation and contribution in classes dropped, and I had some study groups that did not work out so smoothly- and I really begun to doubt the logic of a two year MBA- it gets tiring!

Career

Ok- I know I said I signed with Microsoft, but there's a ton of stuff that's occupying my mind including sorting out my visa status moving forward as I transition from F1 (student) to H1-B. In turns out this is not as simple as it seems, especially if one plans to travel over the summer as I do. The problem arises in getting back into the US in September, where apparently the immigration officers might see me as under "dual intent" immigration status which is a big no-no. Without boring you with more details, lets just say this is occupying too much of my mindshare- Microsoft lawyers/recruiters think I'm freaking out unnecessarily- lets hope so.
On the long-term career planning, I've also been developing my knowledge and connections in the area of mobile technologies and social communities/networks, this has tied in nicely with the independent project I am doing. Mobile is an area that I want to engage in future, within Microsoft and in a future start-up career, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. I recall a great meeting with the CEO and founder of Admob, which was insightful as to where the future of mobile is heading. Other interesting developments include- "m-banking", this is another top tip of a disruptive technology that has the potential to transform Africa- check out this innovative offering, from wizzit in South Africa.

Trips & stuff!

Ahh- I am starting to enjoy myself a bit more, with recruiting out of the way, I spent time in San Diego, tried my hand in snowboarding at Lake Tahoe (finally! Lake Tahoe is a GSB time honored activity- and I had to go atleast once!). The highlight was definitely the Las Vegas career trek organized by the Travel and Hospitality club- it was simply amazing, once in a lifetime trip! We got incredible access to casino security camera rooms, priceless suites, meeting with top executives from the Wynn and Venetian. I certainly see Las Vegas in a different light moving forward and learnt some valuable lessons on the meaning of customer service in the travel and hospitality industry.
I was not happy that I missed the Africa Business Club conference at Harvard Business School- thanks to stormy winter weather on the east Coast and flight cancellations- hey, aren't I glad I am in California!

The web has come a long way...

Interesting video that describes how far we have come...

Game over, Microsoft here I come...

So its time to break the news- I have signed on with Microsoft for a full-time role as a product manager in the Office Enterprise division where I interned last summer. Without going deep into the factors that made me decide, I will say that lifestyle made was a major influence in the decision:

Factors considered:
- I am passionate and have always loved technology- and the opportunity to marry this up with business in an organization that is balanced in engineering vs marketing.
- Ability to move around not only core software, but emerging media and consumer electronics product areas.
- Work with truly smart, driven, diverse people not only composed of type A personalities.
- Seattle area as an emerging areas for non-profits (another passionate area)- I will be able to give back to communities, including work on Africa related projects.
- Seattle as a great area to live, yet not quite being too far away from Silicon Valley and rest of California.

My life at business school has now changed! No more recruiting has opened me up to do a lot more within the GSB community. I am also spending considerable time building relationships with entrepreneurs in the valley.

Meanwhile, back on the other side of the world...

Happy New Year everyone!
Its great to be back at Stanford after a much needed rest. Although I am excited to be back in California, half my mind is still in Tanzanian. Firstly, I should mention how proud I am to be Tanzania right now since the appointment of the new deputy of the UN Secretary General- Dr Asha-Rose Migiro. She is also the first woman to hold the post. Finally, I think Tanzania may finally stand out on to the map!

It is worth mentioning my last trip within Tanzania to visit my grandfather- at the age of 85, he runs a small drug store/pharmacy at a coastal town in the north of Tanzania. In discussing with him, he outlined his plans to open up a small clinic and healthcare training center as an extension of the shop on a micro-scale, focusing specifically on quick diagnosis and clinical tests. This struck me as very innovative, as it strives to tackle the stark lack of available and affordable healthcare in rural areas. Often the sick will travel miles only to be misdiagnosed by a busy and overstretched doctor- the results are often fatal, as everyone is "assumed" to have a case of malaria, when it could be something else.
I returned to the GSB within 3 days to attend a meeting where there is a huge effort to build a healthcare worker training center in Tanzania that will effectively double the no. of healthcare workers in Tanzania. Question is, after that where will they be deployed? In the already over-crowded hospitals in urban centers? What about rural areas? It turns out, the idea my granddad stumbled on is a concept in micro-franchising- known as "CFWshops". It is clear in my mind that just as microfinance is revolutionizing credit in the developing world- the concept of micro-clinics/drugs stores in rural will have a huge impact.

Hard to scale when trust and competence is lacking...

Happy Christmas everyone! Hope everyone is doing well wherever they are reading this from. First apologies to all those 2nd round applicants who have been trying to contact me to help them on their applications- timing is just not good around now, when I am trying to get a break from all things GSB, not to mention how infrequently I come online (internet connection is very scarce in Tanzania).

One thing I've been doing in the past week is observing and listening to some of the problems the family have had in running businesses here. It seems one of the big issues in trying to scale any business here in Tanzania, which may sound obvious, is of trusting employees and thus to effectively delegate. Or put another way, the lack of educated and competent middle managers to enable any business scale past more than a dozen employees. Its the sad truth when it comes to any high value, people intensive business. What ends up happening is that these professional/ or service orientated firms such as law, engineering end up having to bring in foreign or expatriate talent. The downside of hiring expatriates in Tanzania is that they often cannot thrive in the business or even living environment in Tanzania (power shortages etc...), not to mention fully understand the local markets. Inevitably, what ends up happening is that many CEOs or entrepreneurs are limited to organizations of no more than 20 employees with strict micromanaging and continue to doing basic tasks. Its crazy because when you try to offer any sort of long term strategic advice, these managers just rightly turn away- "I have enough issues just dealing with the day to day running of the business...". I suppose this sort of problem exists in the western world, although when the organization is at a much larger level- the need for such special projects outside the day to day running of the business is obviously met by management consultants.
The big limiting factor in Tanzania for the expansion of small businesses ends up being more of an issue sourcing local competent and trustworthy employees who can grow into middle managers rather than, as some would attest to, lack of available capital or market opportunities.

Homeward bound...

I'm heading home... Sounds like an obvious enough thing to do since its the x-mas break after all. The GSB is still alive and kicking however, there are plenty of exciting study trips- India, China, Guatemala, Japan and Scandinavia amongst places. Opportunities lost since I am not going on any of the great trips, one might think- but after 18 months of being away from home, something has to give- this is by far the longest extended period of time I've been away and I'm anxious for family contact. And it's not like I'm not going to be learning anything when I'm in Tanzania- this provides the perfect opportunity to evaluate some of my ideas in context, I'll also be meeting up with a GSBer who is traveling the region. My life already spans 3 continents, cultivating relationships across these geographies is becoming difficult- an although I see the value of study trips, I'm not so keen to stretch myself in that direction until I have a firm grasp of the US. I'll probably head to Asia in summer. Interestingly enough, friends and family in Tanzania are largely approving of my efforts here in the USA- they see the value the education brings and always have and can tolerate me being away for such a long time. This is in sharp contrasts to my European/UK friends- who now label me as "too hard working with no time to enjoy life"- this shocked me a bit. I'm sorry, being in California surrounded by smart people around the world with access to wise professors, entrepreneurs is the most fun I've had. Sure, its tough at times, but clearly the interpretation of my European counterparts of how I feel about my time here needs some clarification.

It saddens me- probably the toughest management challenge...

I'm ramping down towards the end of the quarter with only a week to go until I fly out to Tanzania. I am spending this weekend in Los Angeles and Vegas meeting up with some friends from the UK who happen to be in the area.

As I prepare to head back home for the first time since I came out here 18th months ago, I have been reading up more closely on the news there. The chronic power rationing as result of a combination of drought, corruption and mismanagement, vandalism and theft of equipment, lack of accountability (the list goes on...) the state owned power company undergoing privatization is causing big headaches back home. The power rationing continues to grip the country and seriously hinders economic progress- latest developments, the company put on a 6% price increase in the midst of 12+ hour black-outs.

The CEO/MD of the troubled power company was so stressed with trying to bring order to the company that he apparently suffered a stroke and is currently in hospital. Tanzania seems helpless and I think the situation is probably the ultimate management challenge- there is a CEO opening currently on the website
More info on the troubles is recounted by frustrated fellow Tanzanian blogger

Recruiters, please don't do this... How NOT to recruit MBAs

I just started the last series of interviews with a company that did not impress me with regard to their recruitment process.
One of the things that one gets very used to in MBA recruiting is meeting outstanding individuals from companies- at least at Stanford and I'm sure most business schools, there is significant management level involvement in recruiting. After all, if you are serious about recruiting top talent, going to business school is the reason you go there- to access top talent. Some companies will go through On Campus Recruiting, or insist that you actually beat down a path to their door- either way, when you finally end up landing an interview, it is normally with a manager or associate of some sort within the company.
Now I have very little against using recruiting agencies to help screen candidate resumes etc... i.e. do the manual work of matching job requirements to skills, proving basic company/division information etc... It can can reduce costs, and let one focus on more important things and all those great things about specialization. but when I realized that my 1st round phone interview with this company was actually still with a recruitment agency (in effect outsourced or delegated the 1st round), I was shocked beyond belief. The exchange went something like this:

INTERVIEWER: "So do you have any questions for me about SMARTCO?"
MBWANA: "Great- I just wanted to ask about what you do and what your day is like at SMARTCO?"
INTERVIEWER: "I don't work for SMARTCO, I work for RECAGENCY..."
MBWANA: Pause... "In that case, I have no questions as I'd like to ask someone who actually works at SMARTCO"

Never mind if I offended the recruiting agent- it just came out and it was honest! In the end I asked some questions about timing of calls for second round, how many people the company hope to hire this year and other mundane questions that recruiting agencies would be aware of. But how the hell am I meant to ask questions about things like company culture and what its actually like to work in the organization? Talk about outsourcing or contracting your most crucial function in the process. Sorry- but Round 1 MBA interviews, including phone interviews, should be with a member of your organization! Talent is too precious to leave to a recruiting agency when it actually comes to assessing competencies and skills (and responding to questions) at this level! What if I asked, what was the company's last quarterly performance? Would the agency know that? Maybe, maybe not- but why take the chance with someone not from your organization... If I get through to the next round, I hope its with an actual member of the company- but more importantly, this sends negative signal to me about how effectively they can actually bring on great talented people and hence maintain the quality of the organization.

Thanksgiving- catching up with entreprenuers...

This time last year, I was up Mt. Shasta, waist height deep in snow with a group of classmates. This year, I decided to rest after a busy recruiting season- which still hasn't ended by the way! Its never over until you've signed the dotted line.

In the last couple of days I've been meeting up with some entrepreneurs:

Last night I was at a dinner with two GSB alums, class of 2004 who are creating a new school in South Africa to build future African leaders- . A very risky and long-term education non-profit, but inspiring. The market for secondary education is booming (I should know- my parents sent me abroad because there are few if any institutions like this in Africa). I particularly loved the way they sought to subsidize African students with western students who are paying higher fees for experiencing the equivalent of study abroad in Africa.

I met up with Linxdating CEO, Amy Andersen, a dating service for high net-worth silicon valley individuals- Apparently, there are a few GSB alums who use this service! I found some of the no.s hard to believe, something like 50 million Americans use a dating service.

A new start-up involving some classmates including my former Schwab room-mate got launched this week. Although there is little, if any tangible product at this stage (keep tuned in)- its an interesting concept- internet users who create value on the site who are incentivised by stock- in essence instead of there being one entrepreneur who takes a majority of the rewards for building a community of millions of users who are valuable to advertisers etc... in this case, the users get to share in the value created.

On the fun side, Check out this out- a very fun Friday night at meetro hq in San Francisco (spot Mbwana!).

I am hoping to check out Kiva's new office this week in SF, they have been experiencing tremendous growth recently- amazing to think just a year a ago it was little more than an idea. Now they are approaching $1 million in microloans.

Thanksgiving- catching up with entreprenuers...

This time last year, I was up Mt. Shasta, waist height deep in snow with a group of classmates. This year, I decided to rest after a busy recruiting season- which still hasn't ended by the way! Its never over until you've signed the dotted line.

In the last couple of days I've been meeting up with some entrepreneurs:

Last night I was at a dinner with two GSB alums, class of 2004 who are creating a new school in South Africa to build future African leaders- . A very risky and long-term education non-profit, but inspiring. The market for secondary education is booming (I should know- my parents sent me abroad because there are few if any institutions like this in Africa). I particularly loved the way they sought to subsidize African students with western students who are paying higher fees for experiencing the equivalent of study abroad in Africa.

I met up with Linxdating CEO, Amy Andersen, a dating service for high net-worth silicon valley individuals- Apparently, there are a few GSB alums who use this service! I found some of the no.s hard to believe, something like 50 million Americans use a dating service.

A new start-up involving some classmates including my former Schwab room-mate got launched this week. Although there is little, if any tangible product at this stage (keep tuned in)- its an interesting concept- internet users who create value on the site who are incentivised by stock- in essence instead of there being one entrepreneur who takes a majority of the rewards for building a community of millions of users who are valuable to advertisers etc... in this case, the users get to share in the value created.

On the fun side, Check out this out- a very fun Friday night at meetro hq in San Francisco (spot Mbwana!).

I am hoping to check out Kiva's new office this week in SF, they have been experiencing tremendous growth recently- amazing to think just a year a ago it was little more than an idea. Now they are approaching $1 million in microloans.

Half-time...

Oh my God, I actually have a free moment on this Saturday evening to write a post… Its been a crazy, crazy first half of the winter quarter. In between interviewing, attending conferences and going into new initiatives, I have had very little time to reflect and think, yet alone write a blog post…Time to say some things that are clear about the 2nd year so far:
Second year of the MBA does not mean a slow down in activity: No way, for me it’s a been a ramp up, more engaging academics, club leadership and responsibilities and more serious recruiting. And this is even though I have Monday and Friday days off! I’ve been venturing into some new areas as well- for instance, making across the street contacts in the Africa Studies Department, meeting like minded graduate and undergraduate students interested in Africa- there are now plans to organize an Africa conference in the Spring (with an emphasis on 100% business), which will be fantastic- we hope it will rival the Wharton and Harvard conferences. On the non for profit side, there is a chance of me getting involved with a health care non-profit/NGO in Tanzania that one of the professors and a prominent Stanford GSB alum support- The Touch foundation. Another thing I’ve been doing is hosting and showing around quite a few prospective students- this has been rewarding and actually a great way to remind myself some of the great qualities of being at the GSB and give my part in attracting talented students.
Less time to see classmates: This is been a real downer for me. Just when you are getting to know some classmates really well, the fact that Schwab is no longer the more common meeting point means that it much harder to stay in touch- yes there are FOAMs and LPFs, but you cannot guarantee that second years will be there, and even then, these events only offer mild chatter, nothing in depth. The good news, is that we do meet up for birthday parties at a venue in San Francisco, we have much more of a ball. Of course, small dinners are and always will be the best way to solve this problem. Take tennis, I haven’t been able to have a single session this quarter, I end up canceling or being canceled due to that suddenly scheduled second round interview or other pressing event.
Confusing time for me career wise, like most, but I love the area: Silicon Valley is really growing on me this year, especially with my contacts outside the b-school. I mentioned very early in my blogs about how important it was for me to really meet ordinary bay area Californians to get a better sense of what it is like to stay here long term- and its great, I have friends who work for major silicon valley tech firms as employees, one is an editor of popular blog for the silicon valley area and have been acquainted with numerous entrepreneur friends. And no, these people are real friends that I have beers with, rather than far-removed or distant business contacts. For me this has been a crucial input into my decision to focus my job search within the bay area- I just love this area and the people I’ve met! Fingers crossed, at this moment in time, I can say that consulting and technology careers paths still remain open. Next week will reveal more clearly which of these avenues are still open to me. Interviewing is finally ramping down- thank god… On Campus Recruiting (OCR) is not pleasant and is thoroughly draining- I am looking forward to a relaxing thanksgiving, and looking to returning to Tanzania for x-mas- Zanzibar calls.

Finally, a word out to some people who have been commenting- I have not been silent because I can not be bothered- I just realized that I don’t get e-mail alerts for anonymous comments which are the majority of comments- I will reply to these pronto and the problem is now fixed.